Jay Talking: Steakburger/hamburger - what's the difference?

Jay Redfern

Tuesday

Jan 10, 2012 at 12:01 AMJan 10, 2012 at 9:21 AM

Happy Tuesday on yet another spring-like day in Galesburg. On this National Bittersweet Chocolate Day*, Jay Talking asks the all-important question: What’s the difference between a steakburger and a hamburger? Also, an Arby’s "big hat" sign spotted in California helps soothe a homesick Galesburg native.

Happy Tuesday on yet another spring-like day in Galesburg. On this National Bittersweet Chocolate Day*, Jay Talking asks the all-important question: What’s the difference between a steakburger and a hamburger? Also, an Arby’s “big hat” sign spotted in California helps soothe a homesick Galesburg native.

Steakburger/hamburger

Local News Editor Rob Buck and I were lunching at Grandview, 2221 Grand Ave., last week when a debate broke out. What’s the difference between a steakburger and a hamburger? The menu features both in various combinations. You have your steakburger, your hamburger, your steakburger lunch, your hamburger lunch, your hot steakburger sandwich ... you get the picture.

Confused by the menu, Rob asked me, “What’s the difference between a steakburger and a hamburger?” Being the veteran Grandview patron that I am, I simply said, “Nothing ... they’re the same thing.”

“No way,” proclaimed Rob. “There has to be a difference. Why would they both be on the menu?”

“They’re the SAME THING,” I told Rob.

Rob still wasn’t convinced.

“I’ll bet you a hundred bucks they’re the same,” I said.

Even more sure of my answer, I pulled a Mitt Romney and said, “I’ll bet you $10,000 they’re the same!”

Of course, I knew Rob wouldn’t hold me to it, even if I was wrong. And no, unlike Mitt, I don’t have 10 Gs at my disposal, either.

As it turned out, I went with the STEAKBURGER lunch, and Rob — obviously flustered by the menu confusion — ordered neither hamburger nor steakburger, opting instead for the tenderloin lunch.

Wanting to get to the bottom of this, I asked our server, “Is there a difference between the steakburger and hamburger?”

“Yes,” she said.

My heart nearly sunk into my stomach.

“There is a difference?” I said, as I could feel a tear running down my face.

She said, “Oh, no ... they’re the same thing.”

I’ll take the second answer. And I’m still waiting for the payout from Rob. ...

Of course as Phil Medina, posting on Facebook, had to confuse the issue by asking, “So what is a hamburger steak?”

Arby’s: Best sign in Galesburg?

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Caitlyn Muelder, a Galesburg native and actress living in California, has a Facebook photo of an Arby’s in California. The photo carries a caption that says: “So I was feeling homesick for Galesburg, and then I saw this on Sunset Blvd. I love u California.”

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As you can see, the Arby’s sign in California is nearly identical to the one that’s in front of our Henderson Street Arby’s — the only differences being the California one says “Drive Thru” and has a palm tree behind it.

According to a 2008 story that appeared in The Register-Mail, the sign at the Galesburg Arby’s is 39 feet tall and sports a square footage almost three times that allowed by the city’s current sign ordinance. The permit was issued 40 years ago, in 1968, which is why the 294-square-foot sign is allowed to continue to light up Henderson Street. The current sign ordinance limits height to 20 feet; new signs can be no larger than 100 square feet.

The photo of the California Arby’s sign spurred some interesting comments from Arby’s fans.

Marisa said, “I want to drown in a bathtub of Arby’s horsey sauce.”

Paul added, “I pulled up to the drive-in the other day and he asked me if I wanted any sauce, and my response was “you think I’m here for the meat?”

According to Wikipedia, Arby’s was founded in Boardman, Ohio, in 1964 by Forrest and Leroy Raffel, owners of a restaurant equipment business who believed there was a market opportunity for a fast food franchise based on a food other than hamburgers. The brothers wanted to call their restaurants “Big Tex,” but that name was being used by an Akron business. Instead, they chose the name “Arby’s,” based on R. B., the initials of Raffel Brothers.

So, is the Arby’s Big Hat the best sign standing in Galesburg? If not, who beats it? Comment here, or drop me an email.

Thanks for reading ...
Jay

* According to www.wisegeek.com, bittersweet chocolate is a sweetened form of dark chocolate that does not contain milk in either liquid or dry form. Bittersweet chocolate is essentially a mixture of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and sometimes vanilla. Often, lecithin is added as an emulsifying agent. Chocolate liquor, despite what its name seems to suggest, contains no alcohol. Rather, it is a form of cocoa produced by grinding cocoa beans into liquid form. Solidified chocolate liquor formed into blocks is known as unsweetened baking chocolate.

Recent studies have revealed certain health benefits from the regular consumption of small quantities of bittersweet chocolate. Due to its high cocoa content, dark chocolate is a good source of certain flavonoids — namely epicatechin and gallic acid — that may be protective for the heart.

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